Mountaineering school in North Tien-Shan

Programme 6 days in mountains

Programme 12 days in mountains

Skills and Knowledge

For Beginners

• Introduction to basic climbing equipment;
• Climbing knots and attaching the rope;
• Moving efficiently over rocky 'scrambling' terrain;
• Belaying and protection techniques on rock, ice and snow;
• Use of crampons and ice axe on snow and ice;
• Moving together with the rope;
• Short rope techniques for different types of alpine terrain;
• Safe glacier travel and crevasse rescue;
• Descending on snow and ice;
• Alpine navigation and interpretation of maps and guidebook;
• Preparation and selection of climbing equipment;

For Mountaineers with some experience:

• To provide a range of alpine rock climbing experiences
• To coach and develop your existing climbing skills to build confidence in climbing safely and efficiently in this challenging environment
• To enjoy some high-quality, classic alpine rock routes
• Appropriate route selection for prevailing conditions and abilities
• Moving together with the rope on different types of alpine terrain
• Safe glacier travel and crevasse rescue
• Interpretation of alpine conditions and weather.

Area of training:  Ak-Sai Glacier, Ala-Archa National Park

Ala-Archa National Park is located only 42km from Bishkek and is the biggest gorge of the Kyrgyz Range, lying within the Northern Tien-Shan Mountains. Mountain summits in Ala Archa rise to an altitude of 4895m, the highest point in the range being Semenov-Tien-Shanskiy Peak.

The Ak-Sai Glacier is located at an altitude of 3300m in the Ala-Archa Gorge and is a popular and spectacular place for mountaineering and climbing.  There is rock climbing and some mixed and ice climbing in the area, depending on the time of year. There are about 150 established routes of all levels, from low grade to technical faces and routes of up to 1100m in length.  The rock is predominantly granite and granodiorite.

Annual precipitation is approximately 690mm. The least precipitation is in September, the wettest months are May and June. Average temperatures are +12°C in Spring, -7°C in Winter and +30°C Summer.

From Bishkek it is a one hour drive to the road-head of the Ala Archa National Park.  From here it is a three to four hour hike to reach the Ak-Sai Glacier.  At the edge of the Ak-Sai Glacier is the Ak-Sai Mountain Hut which gives basic accommodation for up to 36 people.

Conditions and notes:

• Group members must have their own personal mountaineering equipment and gear.
• If the group decides to send mountaineering equipment to Bishkek in advance of the start of the programme ITMC can assist with customs clearance.
• Climbers must have medical insurance with a minimum cover of USD 30,000 including cover for search and rescue and helicopter evacuation.  Insurance must cover the geographical area of Kyrgystan.

Clients statement

ITMC insistently advises all participants of hiking, climbing and mountaineering to be aware of and accept possible risks of personal injury or death the might be caused by the afore mentioned activities. Participants should be responsible for their own actions and involvement.